


Finding You

by darylvdixon



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: M/M, Soulmates AU, and haven't written in a while, i've never written a soulmates fic before, just short and sweet written as a present, so hopefully this is okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-09
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-03-02 19:03:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13324533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darylvdixon/pseuds/darylvdixon
Summary: At age eighteen everyone wakes up with a tattoo, the tattoo of the age you will meet your soulmate. But when Robb wakes up with the number eight tattooed on his wrist he isn't sure where to even start looking.





	Finding You

At age eight being at the seaside was the best thing in the world to Robb Stark. For someone who grew up in the city, a city which until yet he had never left, getting to run around out doors in the open fields and seeing a beach and the sea for the first time was something like a dream. He spent the first half of the summer getting into trouble with his favourite cousin Jon, causing mischief and pestering his younger sisters relentlessly, because the boys knew just how much it annoyed them. Robb didn’t think the summer could get any better but the naive boy was soon proved wrong when his aunt took him and Jon to go out on a boat. Robb was ecstatic and Jon couldn’t help but roll his eyes at his cousins excitability.

“Now I won’t be coming with you,” his aunt explains as she leads them down the docks past rows and rows of differently coloured boats, “But the boat belongs to a good friend of mine and he’s going to take you out and look after you.”

Robb doesn’t care who was going to be looking after him, he just wanted to ride on a boat for the first time and be all the way out at sea. The young boy was trying his best not to run off ahead, not that he even knew which boat he’d be getting onto as there was so many of them.

Finally, towards the end of the docks, his aunt brings them to a stop in front of a pale blue boat, not particularly large but definitely not the smallest. The man on board waves over with a friendly smile as he hurries to meet them and help the boys up onto the deck.

“This is George, now behave for him, I’ve given him permission to throw you overboard if you misbehave.” His aunt warns them. Robb gulps and nods quickly, not wanting to be left in the middle of the sea by himself to be eaten by sharks.

George ruffles their hair and leads them towards the front of the boat, “I have a helper in today, you’ll sit with him while I drive the boat out into the open water okay? This is Theon.” 

Theon looks to be a little older than Robb himself, and Robb tries his best to be polite but the boy just shoots him a glare and slides as far into the corner away from him and Jon as he could. Robb didn’t understand why the boy didn’t want to sit with them but he didn’t stay downhearted for long as the engine soon roared into life and the boat began to move.

Robb’s festinated with the way the water moves around the boat and cannot wipe the smile from his face for the duration of the ride out to sea. He leans over the railings to get a closer look, “Do you think there’s dolphins?” he beams excitedly.

He hears a scoff behind him and the older boy speaks for the first time, “Don’t be stupid, there’s no dolphins round here, just a load of boring fish.”

“Oh.” Robb frowns and sits back in his chair, “Will we at least see the fish?” he asks.

Theon shrugs, “Probably not, they live further down, and the boat will scare them off.” 

“Oh…Well we can pretend there’s dolphins! And whales and sharks too!” Robb’s grin is back and he’s jumped up from his seat, “Look, over there Jon, did you see it?” He points to the imaginary dolphin and runs to the other side of the boat with his cousin not far behind, leaving the older boy to sulk alone.

Robb and Jon spend the day on the boat making up stories about dangerous sharks and dolphins coming to the rescue and playing games, all while the older boy watched them with an annoyed scowl, constantly complaining about being in the younger two’s presence.

Robb’s legs felt wobbly and unsteady when he was back on solid land making him feel a little uneasy, but it was definitely worth it, “Thank you for taking us on your boat Mr.” he beams, “Can we come back another time?”

“You’re more than welcome to, if it’s okay with your aunt.” George smiles, this reply earns an annoyed groan from Theon, one which all of them ignore.

The rest of the summer flew by and unfortunately Robb didn’t get another chance to go on the boat, but he knew he’d be back some day, and then he’d definitely get another day at sea, maybe he’d even get his own boat one day. The day his parents came to pick him and his siblings up he cried, he didn’t want to leave his cousin who he never got to see, he even tried hiding under the bed in hopes they would leave without him.

————————————————————————————————————————

When Robb first learnt about soulmates he thought the whole idea was idiotic. The idea that you were destined to be with one person and only that one person forever annoyed him, what if he didn’t want to be with them? It should be his choice, not something decided for him by fate. But the older Robb got the more the idea intrigued him. Being the eldest of his siblings he was going to be the first one to get his tattoo, the tattoo of the age you will meet your soulmate which appears on your wrist on the morning of your eighteenth birthday. Sansa was extremely jealous that Robb was going to find his soulmate first. Sansa was obsessed with the idea, she spent her nights researching it and reading stories about people going on searches for their soulmates and ‘oh it’s just so romantic don’t you think?’ Robb did think it was romantic, but that wasn’t something he was going to admit to his sister, he was just excited to meet his soulmate and hope he actually liked them.

The night before his eighteenth birthday he sat curled up on his bed with Sansa who was holding his wrist in her hand and tracing her finger across it.

“It’s so strange,” she says, “To think, in the morning it’s going to be there. It’s all going to be real. Are you excited?”

Robb shrugs, “I am, but it could say anything. What if it says I wont meet them until I'm sixty? There’s no point getting all worked up yet.” He laughs.

Sansa rolls her eyes and shoves his hand away from her, “Don’t be stupid, it’s not going to say sixty.” she slides off of his bed and makes her way to the door, stopping just before she exits and looking back at him, “You better come to me first thing in the morning! I’m so jealous!” She groans and slams the door behind her.

Robb laughs to himself and crawls under his covers, reaching over to his bedside lamp and switching it off, plunging himself into darkness. Sansa was right, tomorrow this would all be real and he wasn’t sure how he was going to handle it.

The next morning Robb let out a groan as he woke and rolled over, he’d slept in a funny position and his back was feeling it this morning, so this was what it was like to be eighteen and finally getting old. It took him a moment to remember it was in fact his birthday, but once he did he quickly pulled his wrist out from under the covers to examine it. He was half worried that there would be nothing there at all, that maybe he didn’t have a soulmate and his wrist would forever stay empty, but that worry soon washed away when he saw the small black number on his skin. He examined it for a few moments before frowning, “Are you fucking kidding me?!” he all but yells, angrily throwing his covers from his legs to go and see Sansa.

His sister was already outside his door when he pulled it open, having heard him yell from her bedroom across the hall way, she doesn’t have time to ask what’s wrong.

“Eight!” Robb yells out, “Eight? That could have been anyone! How the hell am I supposed to find them now?!”

Sansa frowns and grabs his wrist, inspecting it herself as though she thought he could have read it wrong, but the small number was in fact a number eight.

“Well this could be good,” Sansa tries to reason, “It could be someone from school. They could be close and easy to find.” Her smile appears hopeful but even she knows it will be a lot harder now he’s supposedly met his soulmate already.

Robb groans and throws his head back as he heads downstairs, “This is just typical! Nope, I’m not looking for them! This is just stupid!”

“No Robb, you’ll find them.” Sansa encourages him as she follows him downstairs, Robb just grumbles a reply and sulks into the dining room for his birthday breakfast.

His whole family ask about his tattoo and he grumpily tells them it’s stupid and he’s paying no attention to it. Clearly he was destined to never find them, so he wont give it them time of day. His parents try and talk him round but soon see it’s a pointless battle and turn the conversation onto other things.

That evening his favourite cousin Jon rang him to wish him a happy birthday and of course, ask about his soulmate tattoo.

Robb groans down the phone, “I think it must be a defect or something. It says eight! Who meets their soulmate when they’re eight?”

“You apparently.” Jon laughs.

Robb glares even though his cousin can’t see him, “It’s not funny Jon. I’m going to be alone forever, I’m sure I met a lot of people when I was eight! It could be anyone!”

“Well,” Jon pauses for a moment, “Can you not think of anyone that stood out? Maybe a new friend? A new kid at school?”

Robb ponders the idea for a moment before sighing, “No,” he replies, “I hung out with the same people I always had and I can’t recall anyone new starting.”

Jon stays quiet for a while and Robb wonders if he’s hung up for a moment before he finally speaks again, “I can think of something.” He says, “But I’m not sure if it will help.”

“I’ll accept anything I can get right now, what is it?” Robb asks, sitting down at the desk in his room and absentmindedly doodling on a spare piece of paper.

“Well remember how you came to mine for the summer?” Jon starts, Robb nods along as he speaks, “And we went on that boat. There was that boy there, I can’t remember his name, the older one, kind of grumpy? Perhaps he could be it? Or maybe someone else you met down here.” He pauses again, “But I don’t know. Really, it could be anyone.”

“No, you have a point. It could be that boy! Oh… What was his name? Travis? No… Theon! Yes, I remember him. Do you know if he still lives round there?” Robb’s excitement perks up again and he sits up in his desk chair.

“I’m not sure Robb, I’ve never seen him since. I wouldn’t know how you’d find him again.” Jon sighs and Robb can hear him fiddling around on the other end, “Look I’m gonna have to go, mum wants help with dinner. Call me if you think of anything.”

Robb hangs up the phone, now hell bent on finding that boy from the boat if it was the last thing he did. He called Sansa into the room and told her to bring her laptop, there they sat with google open and tried their best to find the boy. They typed his name, the area they visited and any surrounding areas he could have lived in, but their search turned up nothing.

“It’s simple.” Robb says, “I’m gonna have to go down there. I’ll ask around. Someone has to know who he is. I’ll talk to Aunt Lyanna’s friend from the boat, he’ll remember him.”

“This is just like one of those stories I read!” Sansa gushes, “Oh please let me write about this when you find him? This is so romantic.” Sansa blushes at the whole idea and runs off to call her best friend Jeyne and tell her all about it.

Robb books a train ticket down to where his cousin lives and immediately starts packing a bag, the sooner he can get there the sooner he can find his soul mate.

The next day at around lunch time he found himself outside a train station waiting for Jon to come and pick him up, he was bouncing on his feet out of pure excitement. He all but ran to his cousins car when he saw it pull up, threw his bag in the truck and jumped into the passenger seat.

“Right, to the docks!” He grins, pulling his seatbelt round him and plugging it in.

“Now?” Jon asks, “You don’t want to come back and get settled in first?”

“Nope. I want to find this guy as soon as possible, I want to know if it’s him or not, if not then I can start looking elsewhere.” Robb states.

Jon shrugs and puts his car into drive and heads off in the direction of the docks. The whole journey there Robb was bouncing in his seat, reeling off all the possible outcomes this could have.

“Do you think he’s less grumpy now? I hope so, though I suppose we were quite annoying eight year olds.” Robb grins, his fingers tapping at the door handle impatiently.

Thirty minutes later Jon pulls up at the docks and Robb throws himself out of the car.

“Do you have any idea where you’re going to start looking?” Jon asks, “You can’t just sit here and hope he turns up.”

“Of course I’m not doing that! I’m going to see if George is here, he’ll remember him and maybe he will know where he is.” Robb calls over his shoulder as he heads down the wooden walk way in search of the man.

Honestly, he could barely remember what George or his boat looked like, but it was the best thing he could think of so he was determined to find him. “It was blue.” He states as they walk past the fourth row of boats, “I know it was blue.”

“He could have painted it.” Jon points out. “Or he might not own it anymore, or even live here anymore.”

“Why do you always have to be so negative?” Robb frowns.

“I’m not.” Jon states, “I just don’t want you to get your hopes up in case we can’t find him.”

But Robb was determined and decided he would visit every blue boat and see if the owner of it was named George. By the time they got to the twentieth blue boat Jon was complaining, but Robb was stubborn.

“George? Nope not me.” The middle aged man replied to Robb’s question, “But I know a George, used to have a boat down here. Can’t recall if it was blue or not though.”

Robb’s hopes soared and he asked where he could find the man, he got an address and forced Jon to drive him there straight the way.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Jon asks as they sit outside the small cottage.

Robb shook his head, “No, I wont be long.” he exits the car and hurries up the path, knocking on the door becoming more nervous by the second.

An old man answers the door, eyes squinting at the stranger on his door step.

“Hello sir.” Robb smiles, “Are you George by any chance?” When the old man answers yes Robb proceeds to ask him whether he once owned a blue boat down on the docks.

“Yes I did,” the man answers, “Got rid of it a couple years back, don’t have the energy for that nowadays.”

“You probably don’t remember me, but when I was younger I came a ride on the boat with my cousin and I was wondering if you remembered the other boy that was there? His name was Theon.”

The man smiles and nods his head, “Of course I remember him. Like a son to me he was. What do you want him for?”

Robb sighs and explains the whole story, feeling almost embarrassed to admit he thought this stranger he knew ten years ago was his soulmate.

“Well I’m not quite sure where you can find him nowadays. He used to live up over that hill with his father, but he died years ago and he had a falling out with his sister so he up and left. Heard he’s got a boat he lives on now, but can’t say I wonder down to the docks anymore so I can’t give you much else.” The old man explains.

“No that’s more than enough.” Robb smiles, “Thank you for all your help sir.”

“Hope you find him boy.” The man smiles and claps him on the shoulder before sending him on his way.

“Right, back to the docks!” Robb tells his cousin as he clambers back into the car.

“Are you serious? You owe me petrol money for this.” He rolls his eyes and starts up the engine, heading to the docks for the second time that day.

“I will find him this time, even if I have to knock on the door of every boat to do so. You can go home, you don’t have to wait around for me, I will call you later.”

Robb was serious when he said he’d check every boat. None of them belonged to Theon, but half way through someone did know who he was asking after and pointed to the far end of the dock.

“Usually stays over there when he’s here.” The woman explains, “Boats green and white.”

Robb set off in that direction, now searching for any green and white boat and checking all of them. He was almost ready to give up when he got to the end of the row and spotted a small white boat with an emerald green stripe down the side and the letters TG written on the side. He hurried over and leant over the railings, knocking on the glass window and hoping someone was on board.

A boy appears who looks to be a year or two older than Robb, he frowns at the sight of the stranger.

“Sorry to bother you, but is your name Theon?” Robb asks hopefully.

“Depends who’s asking.” The boy answers, leaning again a pole and looking down at Robb with his arms crossed.

“My names Robb Stark and I’m searching for him because I believe he may be my soulmate.” he explains.

The boy stays quiet for a moment, staring down at Robb and almost making him feel uneasy, he finally speaks, “I suppose you better come in then.”

Robb grins excitedly as he climbs on board and enters below the deck and into the living quarters, it’s small, but cosy.

“I did wonder when you’d show up.” Theon says as he sits by the small table, Robb sits opposite him.

“So it is you then? We are soulmates?” Robb asks almost unbelieving that he’d actually found him.

Theon shrugs, “Can’t say for sure, but I got mine two years ago,” he holds out his wrist where the number ten was neatly written, “You and your cousin were the only two people I could remember meeting that year, didn’t know where to find either of you so I never looked.”

Robb nods and bites his lower lip lighting, “I don’t know what to say…I never thought what I should do past finding you.”

“We could go for a ride?” Theon suggests with a half smile, “I’ll try and be better company this time.” He laughs.

“Yeah, I’d like that.” Robb agrees, following Theon to the wheel and watching him steer them out of the dock and out into the water.

“Are you disappointed that it’s me?” Robb asks nervously.

Theon shrugs, “Can think of worse looking people it could be.” He jokes, “You seem alright… Less annoying this time anyway.”

Robb laughs and feels himself relax a little, finding Theon easy to be around, “Well I’m not disappointed.”

Theon turns to him and smiles a full smile and Robb feels his heart flutter and in that moment he was one hundred percent certain that Theon was his soulmate, and he couldn’t be more pleased.


End file.
